Chamber music society feels winds of change

Keith Powers

Saturday

Oct 29, 2011 at 12:01 AM

When the South Coast Chamber Music Society takes the stage next weekend for its season-opening concerts in Marion and New Bedford, the group will look more or less the same, and the music will still be drawn from the greatest works in the chamber repertory. But behind the scenes, major changes are in the works, as the group moves into its second decade with a series of concerts carrying a wind theme.

When the South Coast Chamber Music Society takes the stage next weekend for its season-opening concerts in Marion and New Bedford, the group will look more or less the same, and the music will still be drawn from the greatest works in the chamber repertory. But behind the scenes, major changes are in the works, as the group moves into its second decade with a series of concerts carrying a wind theme.

Founder, oboist and artistic director Donna Marie Cobert will be putting aside her artistic leadership during the course of the year, with cellist Timothy Roberts gradually taking over that role. It's a transition that many artistic groups go through, when the originators of an arts organization, who have built something from an idea into a reality, move aside for a new generation of leadership.

But in Cobert's case, she is in no way leaving the group — and, most important for audience members, not leaving the performing spotlight. "It's a step for us," she said on the phone. "It's part of moving away from the foundership, of becoming more than a grassroots organization, and transitioning into a long-term, community-run organization. It really has a lot more to do with marketing and audience building than anything else.

"We have a solid audience base, and subscribers," she says. "And we have had, over the past 10 years. And that good base allows us to continue. But we are still hearing that there are people who don't know that we're here. So that's our number one focus — to spread the word further."

So far, that has involved revitalizing the board, a newer look in marketing materials, and a revamped web site. Onstage, the difference will be subtle. "We will focus on the solid repertory that people want to hear," she says. "I don't think we're going to be too wild, or contemporary, this year. We're just sticking a little closer to home."

The opening programs bear that out. Titled "Force Five," the music includes Puccini's one-movement string quartet "Crisantemi," as well as two dramatic piano quintets: the Dvorak A major, and the Franck F minor. Guest violinist Megumi Stohs joins pianist Janice Weber and the core ensemble of Roberts, Don Krishnaswami (viola) and Piotr Buczek (violin) for the performances.

"The Puccini is light and pretty," Cobert says. "You won't find it written about in the great treatises about quartets, but it will certainly please the audience. The two quintets are among the finest in the genre. The Dvorak is incredible, structured really cleanly. And last year Piotr introduced the Franck violin sonata, a really meaty work, and the audience really embraced it. Franck's quintet may not be as complicated, but it has the same passion."

The ensemble will continue to perform in its two homes, Grace Episcopal Church in New Bedford and St. Gabriel's in Marion, before considering launching out to another location. "I think before we stretch out to another venue, which we've talked about, we need to solidify," Cobert says. "We love both of our homes. Grace still has a larger audience than in Marion, but audience members go back and forth. In Marion, it's a much more intimate setting, and the sound is rich — there's lots of wood in that hall. Grace has a more blended sound, but people love it because it's so grand."

At this point, the goal of building a audience will be brought about through subtle means — enhanced materials, a reliance on the core repertory. In the future, focus groups and subscriber surveys might be used to gather information.

"The model we have is working for us," Cobert says. "We keep our ticket prices low so that people can come to our concerts, and we have youth passes, and children under 16 get in free. We want to offer concerts to a broad spectrum of people, and so we do what our donors allow us to do. At some point we will find out what our home base — our friends and subscribers, the family — want us to change, and we will respond to them. I'm encouraged — we have strong growth in our board, people with a professional background in non-profits, and even though we'd like a lot more, we're moving in the right direction."

The South Coast Chamber Music Society performs music of Puccini, Dvorak and Franck at 5 p.m. Saturday at St. Gabriel's Church in Marion and at 4 p.m. Sunday at Grace Episcopal Church in New Bedford. Tickets ($18, under 16 free) are available at www.southcoastchambermusic.org.

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